To get more common sense career advice on how to protect and advance your career during tough times, sign up at http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com for a free subscription to Ramon Greenwood's widely read e-newsletter and participate in his blog. He coaches from a successful career as Senior VP at American Express, author of career-related books, and a senior executive/consultant in Fortune 500 companies.
No expects you to be perfect and know everything about you job. So forget the macho facade when you are working to advance your career.
Never be afraid to admit you need help and then ask for it. Many careerists, otherwise smart and capable, hamstring themselves by believing they lose face if they say, "Hey, I don't understand this problem, much less what to do about it. Please help me."
Career Tip: Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is just the opposite; it is a sign of strength and maturity. When you ask for help, you are paying a compliment to the one you ask. You are saying, "You know something I don't know. I trust you."
Everyone likes to be asked to help. It's the rare person who will refuse to assist those who admit a need.
Strangely enough, when you put your ego aside and seek help on your career path, those whom you ask for assistance find themselves in your debt. You will often secure a relationship with a mentor who will add a strong element to your career.
None of this is to suggest that it is always easy to ask for help. Admitting a shortcoming tramples a bit on the ego.
When you need to help to correct a mistake, admit it promptly and waste no time waiting to reach out for help. Nobody is perfect. You have a right to make a few mistakes. If you act promptly, there is usually time to correct the situation. It is well to heed Confucius who declared, "Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes."
If you are working for a boss who doesn't accept this premise, you are in a relationship that doesn't bode well for your career path.
Career Tip: Don't ask for help in order to duck responsibility, to take a shortcut, or so you can sit on your butt. Make your best effort. Ask for information and assistance if you still fall short.
Volunteer to help others. Step in to offer a hand in finishing a tough project. Go on record that those with less experience than you have can always turn to you for help. You never know when those associates can help you.
Never be shy about giving credit to those who shared their knowledge and experience with you.
When you ask for help and get it, be sure to seal the transaction with a sincere, "Thank you." That simple step, often overlooked, paves the way to ask for more assistance when it is needed.
If you are working in an environment where people don't share knowledge and help one another, you are in an unhealthy situation. Give carefully consideration to leaving for a new position.
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